Defending the Triple Option is a Formidable Challenge
June 20, 2025
Defending the triple option offense is a formidable challenge, especially after seeing the dramatic turnarounds teams experienced with Dr. Cella’s Triple Option Football Academy. These testimonials reveal key strategies used by successful triple option teams, which in turn, highlight what a defense must counter.
First, successful triple option teams emphasize simplicity and mastery.
Coaches like Josh Bell and Brock Berryhill noted how the system simplifies a complex offense. They focused on mastering a small number of plays. This means a defense cannot rely on confusing the offense with multiple looks. Instead, defenders must be disciplined in their assignments against a few well-executed plays, ensuring they don’t get drawn out of position by fakes.
Second, the triple option creates physicality and ball control.
Several coaches, including Brock Berryhill and Vance Hanner, mentioned increased physicality and dominating time of possession. This forces defenses to be exceptionally stout at the point of attack. Opposing defenses must win the line of scrimmage, tackle effectively, and get off blocks to limit sustained drives. They also need to create turnovers, as Alan Ingram highlighted his team’s improved ball security.
Third, the testimonials underscore the adaptability and continuous improvement of these teams.
Coaches like Phil Zukowski and Terry Shaw spoke about refining their understanding and making in-game adjustments. This implies that a defense must be able to adjust its own schemes quickly during a game. A static defensive approach will likely be picked apart as the triple option offense adapts.
Finally, the diverse scoring threats of the triple option are evident.
Wyman King Academy, with seven different players scoring touchdowns, demonstrates the widespread distribution of the ball. This prevents defenses from keying on a single player. Defenders must respect all potential ball carriers and maintain disciplined lane integrity to prevent big plays from any offensive threat. Successfully defending the triple option requires a commitment to fundamental defense and constant in-game adjustments.
